This invention is generally directed to imaging members, and more specifically, the present invention is directed to improved multilayered imaging members with a hole blocking layer of metal oxides prepared by sol-gel processes, and which blocking layer is in contact with a supporting substrate and is situated between the supporting substrate and the photogenerating layer, and which photogenerating layer may be comprised of the photogenerating pigments of the patents indicated herein, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,811, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference. The imaging members of the present invention in embodiments exhibit excellent cyclic stability, independent layer discharge, and substantially no adverse changes in performance over extended time periods, and also the imaging members are solvent resistant blocking layers, and enable suitable hole blocking layer thickness that can be easily coated on a supporting substrate. The aforementioned photoresponsive, or photoconductive imaging members can be negatively charged when the photogenerating layer is situated between the hole transport layer and the substrate. Processes of imaging, especially xerographic imaging and printing, including digital, are also encompassed by the present invention. More specifically, the invention layered photoconductive imaging members can be selected for a number of different known imaging and printing processes including, for example, electrophotographic imaging processes, especially xerographic imaging and printing processes wherein negatively charged or positively charged images are rendered visible with toner compositions of an appropriate charge polarity. Moreover, the imaging members of this invention are preferably useful in color xerographic applications where several color printings can be achieved in a single pass.
The imaging members as indicated herein are in embodiments sensitive in the wavelength region of, for example, from about 400 to about 900 nanometers, and in particular, from about 700 to about 850 nanometers, thus diode lasers can be selected as the light source.